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What Happens When Technology, Art, and B Corps Meet?

Posted by: aweinstein July 11th, 2014

This post comes to us from Woody Moore of B Corp thrdPlace. It was originally posted on the thrdPlace blog, and has been reposted with permission.

In June, Southern California B Corps Dogeared, Sencha Naturals, Beanfields, and thrdPlace joined forces with Beautify Earth and Venice-based artist Trek “Thunder” Kelly to paint a 30’ x 50’ mural on Lincoln Blvd in Santa Monica, CA as part of the B Corp community's B the Change in Our Communities week. B Corp members used thrdPlace to crowdsource supplies, raise over $700 in funds, and recruit 36 volunteers, making this mural project the first crowdsourced mural of its kind in Los Angeles!

The mural brings an American icon, Abraham Lincoln, to Lincoln Blvd, a street that serves as one of the key arteries to one of the most iconic cities in America. In the words of artist Trek Thunder Kelly, “When asked to design a mural on Lincoln Blvd, the subject matter was apparent: Abraham Lincoln himself. The coincidence that a mural of our country’s most famous lawyer would also be on a popular coffee house called “The Legal Grind”, was even more synchronistic.”

Of the B Corp involvement, Merlin Clarke, Co-Founder of Dogeared Jewelry and Gifts had this to say: “It is so important to us to give back and be socially conscious and responsible corporate citizens, impacting the communities we serve. As a certified B Corporation, our corporate philosophy embraces employee engagement and building relationships with fellow B Corps who share our vision of a better world. We are dedicated to using business as a force for good and guiding the movement to ‘B the Change.'"

While this may be the first crowdsourced mural of its kind in Los Angeles, it won’t be the last. The mural is being spearheaded by Beautify Earth; a group of community leaders, urbanists, technologists, and artists who are on a mission to create one million murals in the next five years. Beautify Earth’s objective is to “create unique art on the sidewalls and fronts of community storefronts in order to stimulate economies by turning neglected areas into thriving public art galleries." In the words of Beautify Earth Founder Evan Meyer, ”the worst color choice of all is the color of neglect!”

To achieve its global ambitions, Beautify Earth has tapped thrdPlace to make it possible for mural creators to use online tools to find the local funds, supplies, and volunteers needed to make projects possible “on the ground” in their local communities.

“The rest of the Southern B Corp family really rallied behind the mural painting. The mural painting itself was a really fun and creative outlet to mix with other B Corp members and really get behind this powerful idea of taking action to 'B The Change.' We’ve already got several B Corp members talking about a follow-up crowdsourced mural project with a “B The Change” theme. I can’t wait to see what they come up with!" – Woody Moore, Director of Marketing, thrdPlace